Last winter I went through a phase in which I devoured book after book after book about Julia Child, and was inspired by my readings to try my hand at making what sounded like the simplest soup ever: Potage Parmentier (potato & leek soup).
It was bad. Flavorless, thin…sort of like extra-boring, soupy mashed potatoes (I think I didn’t add enough chicken stock, garlic, or seasoning, and added too much water).
But I still loved the idea of the stuff, so I thought I’d give it another shot…and this time my Potage Parmentier was so delicious that Kendrick and I pretty much polished off the entire pot in one sitting.
POTAGE PARMENTIER (adapted from a recipe found on Always Order Dessert)
What you need:
6-8 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into approx. 1″ pieces
3 cups leeks, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken stock
Generous splash of heavy cream
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Minced parsley for garnish (optional)
1. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan saute the leeks in little olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until tender.
2. Add chopped-up potatoes and garlic to pot (with a little more olive oil, if necessary), season generously, and saute another 10 minutes or so, stirring constantly so that nothing burns.
3. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, partially covered, for about half an hour (check to make sure potatoes are fork-tender before proceeding).
4. Working in batches, blend up the soup (I only blended about 2/3 of the pot, so that there were still plenty of delicious potato chunks).
5. Stir in cream and serve (garnished with a little parsley if desired).
